tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post8187704120293273104..comments2024-03-17T00:10:44.022+00:00Comments on From Arse To Elbow: Brexit and the ConstitutionDavid Timoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03568348438980023320noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-50305963216938274392019-04-11T17:35:32.597+01:002019-04-11T17:35:32.597+01:00Liberals, do me a favour. These people will cheer ...Liberals, do me a favour. These people will cheer as the fascistic and authoritarian British state drags Assange, a true modern day hero if ever there was one, from the embassy, at the behest of fascists and gangsters.<br /><br />If the US are the greatest gangsters on the planet, which they are, Britain is simply its obedient enforcer, think of it as the accountant to the mob. And the servile public are complicit in this gangsterism.<br /><br />There won't be a coup for the simple reason that Corbyn has no courage, as his silence on Assange proves.<br /><br />If Corbyn did find courage and did act radical there would undoubtedly be a coup. How many times has Theresa May said we will not allow Corbyn to become leader, I read that as his position will be made untenable. But he will simply acquiesce to the interests of the imperialist centre and continue picking up the cheques.Herbie Destroys the Environmenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03048523686842918848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-19639339472109965622019-04-10T21:01:18.696+01:002019-04-10T21:01:18.696+01:00'literal coup' Are you suggesting UK arme...'literal coup' Are you suggesting UK armed forces could actively or passively support the overthrow of an elected UK government?<br /><br />I think the chance of this is vanishingly small. There are plenty of right wing military officers but a strong desire to uphold a professional ethos (in theory if not always in practice) would prevent involvement in a coup. Allegedly one reason Wilson failed to use a military response to UDI in Rhodesia was his belief that the army would not obey. Almost certainly UK troops would have gone in and there is a chance they may have been able to prevent decades of trouble in Zim.<br /><br />Undoubtedly the media are against Corbyn and McDonnell. What the current Labour leadership don't have is an effective media management strategy. This was a lesson Labour learned after the defeat of Kinnock. I guess Corbyn and McDonnell are loath to considering using some effective spin, but sometimes you have to use your enemy's weapons.<br /><br />What I would do is get Corbyn to go clean shaven. I see a beardless Corbyn as worth 3% more in the polls. There is a core group out there who will not vote for a bearded party leader at any price. I would also fly Corbyn to Floria and get $100,000 worth of work done on his teeth. Nothing to flashy just some decent caps and a bit of straitening. Presentation isn't everything, but it's not nothing either.<br /><br />Whatever happens I expect to see Corbyn and McDonnell safely in the House of Lords ten years or so down the line.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-11615248448630095582019-04-10T19:01:02.718+01:002019-04-10T19:01:02.718+01:00and I'd just take issue with your treatment of...and I'd just take issue with your treatment of the referendum. It is clear in retrospect that the 2016 referendum had no constitutional significance. Parliament could have said "Thanks. We will not implement this but we will bear this in mind." Parliament has been in total control throughout. The current crisis is caused by Parliament having held an 'advisory' referendum, finding that the opinion of the majority of MPs was not shared by the majority of the electorate, and trying to work out how to implement this referendum result in a way they can support and get re-elected when this is all over. In doing these constitutional gymnastics they are storing up a large amount of precedent that is going to get used against them for decades to come.Dippernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-5872215143778682342019-04-10T17:22:49.115+01:002019-04-10T17:22:49.115+01:00I agree with much of this. You mention The Lords. ...I agree with much of this. You mention The Lords. They appear to have completely forgotten their role as a check on the Commons and are now a house with a mission but without a mandate.<br /><br />If we are going to do step-wise constitutional reform then we could start with electing some members of the Lords, and doing that by PR so we can get a spread of members and independent members too. <br /><br />I will just note in passing that the SNP seem to have spent the last three years destroying the one constitutional tool they needed to achieve their aim - a referendum. I look forward to a narrow vote for independence being thoroughly screwed over, with a requirement that the winning independence majority need to find a compromise with the pro-union losing minority, that the people didn't really understand what they were voting for, that lots of versions of independence were promised, so we will come back with an absolutely rubbish deal (think no state pensions) and a confirmatory 'people's vote' of two options, staying in the union, or not leaving the union.Dippernoreply@blogger.com